Ups And Downs
by random-gleekV
Summary: Kurt and Quinn used to be best friends. What happend to them and what will become of them as high school goes on? Not a romance story, just saying!


They were childhood friends. He knew her before she was the hot blonde cheerleader. She knew him before he was the shy bullied kid. They were inseparable and everyone knew it.

But then it all changed. The summer after grade eight was when it happened. Right before high school. Quinn Fabray, or Lucy Q Fabray as she was known then, had hated herself. And if it wasn't for Kurt Hummel, her best friend, who knows where she would be now. Quinn's dad had got the promotion so she had asked her dad for her much wanted makeover. She dyed her hair, got some plastic surgery, lost weight and changed her name. But when that happened, she lost something else too: Kurt. Whenever she had complained about how everyone picked on her or how she hated her look, Kurt would be the first one to say how pretty she is and how she needs to hold herself up high. But Quinn heard the sneers and jeers of the bullies louder than Kurt's voice. So she changed everything. Kurt can still remember the day that she showed up, beaming on his doorstep and showing him the new Quinn Fabray. Kurt was shocked. Never did he think she'd actually change that much. But he smiled and complimented her nonetheless. But with a new body came a new person. The bullies had nothing to say when they saw Quinn on the street, looking beautiful and strong. Quinn, who only had Kurt as a friend, started making a bunch of new friends all the time. Most of them were girls so everything she used to do with Kurt now became her plans with the new girls. She went to a cheerleading camp for a week and came back with a new personality that was, in Kurt's opinion, a bit feisty.

Through the summer and for the first quarter of Freshman year, they remained in touch. As much as Kurt saw a major change in Quinn, he still craved her friendship, as she was his only friend too, so he continued to hang out with her as much as she was able too. Which, as the days passed, was less and less.

* * *

Things just got bad when school started. It wasn't just school. It was high school. A new opportunity and a new door in life. One thing that Quinn and Kurt shared was their excitement for it. But one thing that Kurt feared was the labels. It was said that you get labeled for life in high school the second you walk in the door on the first day. In Kurt's mind, that was basically saying how your high school career would go and Kurt hated having other people run his life.

So when the day came, Kurt and Quinn arrived at the school. They had walked together, just like they had done every day of elementary school. That was one thing that would never change...right? Quinn wore a blue sundress and flats and Kurt had helped curl her newly blonde hair. Kurt wore black skinny jeans and a long magenta shirt with gold trim.

The day had started out fine. And went downhill from there. Quinn joined the Cheerios that day and met a bunch of new friends. She got great teachers and had many guys crushing on her. She, within a month, went from lowly girl to the most popular girl in the grade and slowly the school too.

As for Kurt, he was only in one class with Quinn. He didn't make new friends and wasn't popular at all. He ate lunch by himself and once the football team had had tryouts and a new team was formed, they saw Kurt as their new favourite target. Thus began a weekly slushie and constant shoving in the halls.

But what hurt Kurt most of all, was Quinn. She took her new power over the student body seriously and started getting mean. She was rude and sarcastic and was always shadowed by other Cheerios, leaving Kurt no time to interact with her. And slowly, they drifted apart. Quinn started getting drives to school from older friends who could drive. She ate lunch at a crowded table full of Cheerios and football players. Her weekends consisted of fun parties or Cheerio practices. Kurt was out of her life.

He slowly adjusted to the loneliness. He walked home by himself and with his iPod. He watched reality TV all weekend and ate lunch in the library while he read books. He took a large interest in fashion and learned all the words to every Broadway song from the last twenty years, as well as sang them constantly. He didn't mind being alone and enjoyed the quiet. But he still missed a friend. Someone to laugh with at a joke. Someone to sing duets with when they came on the radio. Someone to just hang out with. Quinn's social life was overflowing while Kurt's was sadly empty.

What made their slow ending even more painful for Kurt was when they passed in the hall. He would give her an awkward half smile and when their eyes met, she'd give a brief nod to him. They they'd pass and Kurt would feel even more lonely. He never really blamed himself for their dead friendship. He knew that he never changed. It was society's fault. It was the cruel society that pushed Quinn to change her everything and be who she was now. And it was hard to be mad at that because she was clearly more happier now that she was on top of the heap and not being picked on and Kurt still considered her a friend so he had to support this.

And as sad as it was, Quinn was still his best friend because even though she didn't talk to him and her only acknowledgement to his existence is a short nod in the hall, it was still more than anyone else in the school ever did.

Kurt often looked through scrapbooks of him and Quinn as kids. They were literally inseparable and now they were like repelling forces. It occurred to him that maybe he was never friends with Quinn. His best friend was Lucy. Lucy, who was now nothing more than a hated memory and a few old pictures. To Quinn, Lucy was gone and will never return. She was an old life and now, as Quinn, she's free to be the popular, pretty cheerleader she can be. But to Kurt, Lucy was a best friend. His only best friend. Nothing could change that.

And boy, was he wrong. The darkest day that Kurt had in his Freshman year came one day when he was walking in the halls. It was after school and Kurt had stayed behind to get extra help in math. But his session was over and as he walked down the quiet hall, he heard voices. He recognized them all. Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Puck and Finn. He wasn't sure what they were doing in there, but when he heard his name, he had to stop and listen in. What he heard broke his heart. The group was discussing people in the school and who they thought were the lamest.

"What about Kurt Hummel?" Santana had suggested.

"Loser" Puck shouted, making the other laugh.

"He's so gay" Brittany had said. She said it like it was an insult and he was a disgrace.

"Quinn, weren't you friends with him?" Finn had asked. Finn was her new boyfriend. Kurt found that ironic because Lucy had been certain no boy would ever love her and Kurt had always said that he loved her as a sister and one day she'll find the right guy because she was beautiful.

"That was like a million years ago" Quinn had scoffed as if she was offended by Finn's comment. "I'd never be seen with him now. Did you see what he wore yesterday? A baby blue sweater that was so long, this cheerleader shirt is shorter. How ridiculous."

They all had laughed. "What a loser" Santana said. "Plus, he looks like he's six. How gay."

By now Kurt had been in tears. He knew he wasn't close to Quinn anymore but for her to go behind his back and gossip like that was too much. Where did sweet and innocent Lucy go? He had been about to turn and run away when he peeked in the room. And by chance, Quinn's eyes met him. When she had realized he had heard everything they had said, she had paled a bit and her eyes grew wide. But then her cold new self took over and she frowned and gave a small shrug with a sour look. Kurt stared at her, his teary eyes almost begging her to turn back to Lucy but they both knew there was no chance of that. So he ran off, leaving her to be the mean queen she was.

Quinn felt a bit of remorse that day. She felt bad for slowly breaking away from Kurt but at the same time, she loved her new life. It was everything she wanted and more. Kurt just wasn't cut out for the life of a popular person. He was quiet and more reserved. But in all honesty, she never meant to hurt Kurt. She felt bad about what she said for weeks. She had planned to apologize to him too. But she knew he'd never accept it. And because she had no intention to re-friend him again, it would be pointless. So she acted like she didn't care.

And from then on, their lives were completely separate. They made no eye contact in the halls and didn't even acknowledge each other at all. They had seemed to have moved on like their close bond was just a mere dream. Kurt had destroyed all his pictures of the two of them. All except one. Just in case. Because as much as he hated her and what she did to him, he'd be lying if he said that he didn't love his childhood with her. He loved Lucy and she'll always a small place in his heart, but he resented Quinn, as odd as that seemed.

* * *

With Sophomore year came ups and downs for the both of them. Kurt found enjoyment by auditioning for Glee club. He got in and made a friend in Mercedes and even in Tina. At first he was a bit cautious with making friends, because he was afraid of losing them like he lost Quinn. But he came to learn that they were like him: outcasts. Outcasts who, like him, had empty hearts that longed for a friend. Kurt's down in the year was that the bullying got worse. There were more frequent slushies aimed at him and more pushing into lockers. The worst part was that Quinn was part of that group doing the bullying. She was friends with the jocks and the Cheerios. Kurt's only upside to it that gave him just an inch of hope was that as much as Quinn was part of the group and was sometimes present for the harsh events, she never encouraged it or took part in it. She just kind of stood in the back, giving dirty looks to anyone who passed by. Kurt was just a bit upset that even though she never lit the match, she made no attempt to put out the fire either.

As for Quinn, she had her ups and downs too. Her up was that she made head cheerleader. Finn and her were still going strong as the power couple and her popularity had only risen.

She had joined Glee club too, to Kurt's shock. He knew she was a good singer, but it was such a loser group that when she had strolled in and took her seat, Kurt had almost fell out of his.

They had made brief eye contact but that was all. The look was meaningless and didn't even last a second. And that was it. They avoided each other at all costs and didn't talk in Glee club at all. Quinn enjoyed it more than she'd like to ever admit, even if Coach Sylvester put her up to it to begin. It was weird being with Kurt so often and not talking with him. If it was two years ago, they'd never be apart and they'd be laughing the day away.

But then her down came on her like a thousand bricks. She was pregnant. And just like that, all her popularity and coolness faded and she was nothing more than Kurt. She was moody and confused and wanted to change time.

Kurt felt bad for her. He could never understand what she was going through but he knew how it must hurt her. The Quinn he knew was so protective of her body and everyone in her family were huge on Celibacy so not only was she hiding it at school, she must have been hiding it at home too. And then she got kicked out her house. Kurt considered offering his home to her, but he knew she'd never accept it and it would just make life really awkward for them. So he, like most of the rest of New Directions, became a silent supporter. But even that couldn't change their relationship. She went on ignoring him. But as her time in Glee club grew, and so did her stomach, the rejected feeling really hit her and she opened herself to the members of New Directions. She even did something she never expected to do again: talked to Kurt. It started out with a simple 'hello' and 'how have you been'. It never really grew much from that and it was safe to say that neither of them wanted it to. Kurt knew Quinn was just using them in a way to feel loved as the baby grew. Quinn knew she didn't really want to re-grow the friendship with Kurt because she hoped that as soon as the baby was born, she'd be back in a Cheerios uniform and back on top, where she belonged. But both felt some satisfaction in knowing they weren't totally forgotten in the other's mind. They then even started dancing together. In large group numbers, they'd slowly migrate their way so they were next to each other and for that ten seconds that they were next to each other dancing, it felt like old times, where they'd dance around the living rooms at their houses together. But then a new dance step would commence and the moment was over.

And since then, they had maintained a fairly normal relationship. It was no more than acquaintances and Kurt was closer to Mercedes or Tina or even Rachel as Quinn was closer to Santana, Brittany and Puck. Quinn had given him a silent apology and Kurt had given her a silent forgiveness. No words were needed to understand each other. Not a complete forgiveness, but enough so that they smiled when they passed in the hall and could share a small laugh in Glee club.

One thing that they both knew was that there was no chance for regain what they used to have. No chance to be as close as they were. And no chance that they'd ever be the same as they were. But it was for sure that they'd always be acquaintances at least and maybe friends. If Glee club was a family then they were happy to be 'related'.

In their Junior year, they both struggled with relationships. Quinn had broken up with Finn and Puck and had given birth already. Her new man was Sam. Quinn missed her popularity and didn't ever gain it back like she had hoped. Sure , she was back on the Cheerios, but the halls didn't part like they used to. Therefore, she became a bit devious and resented good things happening to everyone else, especially Rachel. After a break up with Sam she dated Finn again, mostly to spite Rachel. She was distant from everyone in New Directions that year.

Kurt however had his own issues. He met and befriended Blaine. His struggle to date Blaine and avoid the bullies that threatened his life took up most of his year. He changed a lot that year. But it was for good. In the end, Blaine was his new best friend. He connected with Blaine in a way he only ever felt with Quinn. But with Blaine it was more because he loved him and with Quinn it was a friendship that was almost sister-like.

Quinn's darkness and angst clouded the friends she had that year and she was very selfish. Kurt's new social life blocked her a bit from his life and she lost boyfriends. It was an ironic twist, like they switched roles from this year in contrast to their Freshman year.

* * *

It was Senior year that changed them the most. However, they were still distant from each other. The summer before the school year began, Quinn had gotten really upset at herself. Her life wasn't what she wanted and more than ever, she regretted giving up Beth. It drove her insane that everyone else in New Directions had their life going great and planned out and she had no idea at all. So she changed yet again. She dyed her hair pink and black, got some tattoos and started smoking. She lost contact with everyone from Glee club and hung out with other goth smoker girls like her. They weren't her friends but they accepted her and they also had hate and angst in their life. It was Quinn's lowest point in her life and she hated every second of it with a passion. She then decided to get what was rightfully hers back: Beth. She went back to her blonde, sweet self and plotted against Shelby. But eventually, she came around and gave up on it. She realized that Shelby loved Beth and would give her a better life then she ever could. So her new plan was to work and improve her own life. She applied to Yale and even got in. And just when it felt like maybe her life wasn't such a mess anymore, she crashed. Literally. She got in a car crash and ended up in a wheelchair. But with the help of her friends, who she had realized would always be there for her, God and her newest crush, Joe, she managed to get through it and managed to get back on her feet. Yale was only a matter of time.

As for Kurt, his Senior year consisted of prepping for NYADA, his dream school, and maintaining the perfect relationship with his boyfriend, Blaine, who came to McKinley to be with him. Kurt grew even closer to Rachel and Mercedes and Blaine and Tina and Finn. He knew those were the people who'd always be there for him, no matter what school he gets into. When he heard about Quinn's accident, he was at Finn and Rachel's first attempt at a wedding. He had made it quite clear how he thought it was a ridiculous idea. The funny thing was that Quinn didn't agree with the idea either. It was one thing that Kurt and Quinn had agreed on since in years. It was odd for them both. But when Kurt had learned of Quinn's accident, he was in tears right away. He immediately felt bad for anything negative he had thought about her. Quinn could have died and he would have never seen her ever again. As much as he rarely saw her as it was, he still liked knowing she was there. Kurt was eternally thankful when she was claimed to be alive. No one deserved to die, no matter what.

Kurt and Quinn were pretty separate that year. They knew that time was dwindling and at the end of the year, they'd go their own ways. To both of them, any time spent with New Directions was good time.

Then it came. Graduation. The ceremony was sad and everyone cried. They sung sad songs and took so many pictures.

At the end of the long, teary night, Quinn found Kurt, talking with Blaine and Rachel and Finn. They shared a brief hug and a goodbye and a promise to stay in touch. It wasn't much and they both could guess that it was just politeness more than anything, but it was enough. Enough to show that they were still in each other's heart. Enough to show that their childhood wasn't a bad thing and they didn't regret it at all.

They never brought up what they had. It was a secret that they saw to be better left forgotten to others but not forgotten in their minds. Every shared small smile was a small trip back to the memory lane and a unanimous happiness that at least they've found separate peace in their life, despite what they've gone through.

Kurt would still miss her some days and wonders what life would be like if she hadn't gotten the change and if they still would be friends. He loves his friends now and he wouldn't give them away for anything. He still has the one picture that he kept of them. He doesn't regret getting rid of the rest of them as he knows keeping them would have been irrelevant, but that one picture symbolized that even if they're no longer Kurt-and-Lucy and now it's Kurt and Quinn as separates, that the past still happened at it was good while it lasted. He knew her as Lucy and no matter what she looked like on the outside, she'll always be Lucy to him.

Quinn loves her new life as Quinn and wouldn't go back to Lucy at all. She loves the respect she got and the friends she made. She still has a few pictures of her with a young Kurt too because she knows that he was an important part of who she is. He shaped her life and even though she threw him away, she knows he knows she feels bad and at least enjoys the small bit of friendship they have. She knows that no matter what life throws at the both of them, he'll still be front and center at her wedding and she'll be there at his. She'll send him friendly Christmas cards every year and he'll send ones back.

Only time will tell where they will end up. But their childhood will be something that they'll never forget. The bond they built was something that even the meanest of words couldn't tear down.

Kurt and Lucy: best friends forever.

Kurt and Quinn: friends for the rest of life.

* * *

**A/N**

**Wow...Okay that was NOT how I planned it to be. I wanted this to be a Kurt and Quinn friendship story, but then I realized that they could never really be friends...they're so different in all aspects. But my inspiration came from the first season of Glee. I often saw Kurt and Quinn dance together whenever ND did a group song and they paired off for a bit. It was weird becuase they had no connection. So I wrote this and it came out much different than I had originally planned. But I can't say I'm upset. I hope you liked it! **

**Check out my glee blog :)**

**gleerificnewsstop(dot)wordpress(dot)com**


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